Oklahoma State forward Marshall Moses (33) shoots in front of LaSalle center Aaric Murray (24) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Oklahoma City on Monday, Dec. 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

The Red Raiders travel to face Oklahoma State today in a Big 12 Conference opener, and the Cowboys could be Tech's most equal opponent this year. Both teams went 12-2 in non-conference play. Both feature small, athletic forwards who lead their teams in scoring. Both are trying to solidify a place in the top half of the conference standings.

So the Raiders look at this game as a chance for a quality win, rather than a brazen upset.

"They've pretty much got the same kind of size that we have," forward D'walyn Roberts said. "We're going to match up well with them."

Oklahoma State stars forward James Anderson, a 6-foot-9 junior who averages 21.5 points per game. Anderson played for the United States on last summer's World University Games team. He is behind Kansas guard Sherron Collins and Iowa State forward Craig Brackins as the third-leading returning scorer in the conference.

Tech almost lucked out and faced the Cowboys without their other frontcourt threat, Marshall Moses. He's a 6-foot-7 junior who puts up 11.2 points per game.

Moses missed last week's 79-61 win against Coppin State, played the same day he was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana and driving with a suspended license. He was suspended for that game, but is expected to play against Tech.

As much as the scoring of Anderson and Moses could cause problems for Tech, the Raiders say they're more worried about their combined 16.1 rebounds per game.

"We have to box out, because they like to go and rebound offensively," Roberts said. "Our bigs will be ready for this game, too. Moses is a good player, and they'll be ready to go up against him, show what they have."

Cowboy coach Travis Ford would like to see more of what his team's got. Ford said his team has been stagnant this season, failing to show much improvement throughout non-conference play.

Oklahoma State almost broke into The Associated Press Top 25 on Nov. 30, when it received 112 votes, just behind No. 25 Portland. That was when the Cowboys were 6-0. Since then, they've lost at Tulsa and on the road against Rhode Island while also picking up four wins.

Now Ford knows what to expect, but that isn't necessarily good.

"We've just been kind of consistent," Ford said. "I wouldn't say consistently good or consistently great or consistently bad or anything; we've just been moving along."

The Raiders, on the other hand, captured the kind of energy they needed in some big wins, but couldn't find it in losses at Wichita State and New Mexico.

They're looking for consistency, in a sense of controlling their intensity - particularly on defense - and thus controlling the tempo of games.

Forward Mike Singletary said this will be a perfect chance to see whether they've figured it out yet.

"It's a good way to start," Singletary said. "It's a winnable game, so it will be a fun place to play."